Vitamixing

Still no stovetop range:(

So, being the cook-adventurer that I am, I decided against my better judgement to try my hand at soup…solely in the Vitamix. As in…from start to finish.

Start with raw veggies and flavorings + water, end after five whole minutes of high-speed blending with a hot, steamy soup that is healthy, non-fat and full of flavor. Sound impossible? I was skeptical for sure. Then I had no choice but to try it. I felt the way 50s housewives must have felt after getting their hands on their first microwave meal or Campbell’s Soup casserole recipe. Simple, fast, easy, convenient? Inconceivable!

Since I had no stovetop range, I thought it might be worth a try. And let me just say the family, myself included, was completely floored at the result. It really works. We are now referring to this type of cooking as Vitamixing.

First, I rummaged through the fridge (second time this week since losing the range) because I am at a total loss at what to buy at the store with out being able to cook anything on the stovetop, and not having a microwave to boot. As a result, I have just stopped shopping, which has been nice on our budget for sure!

I pulled out ingredients having decided first on some sort of creamy potato bacon soup, but after finding no cheddar cheese, sour cream or scallions, I changed directions and pursued an even healthier idea: a play on Chicken Tortilla Soup, minus the chicken and the tortillas (as I would soon find out we were also out of after a late-night snacking binge made by my beloved teenagers).

I referenced a recipe for the Chicken Tortilla Soup in the Vitamix cookbook that came with the purchase simply to verify “cooking” times, method, etc. After all, I had never made soup in a blender before from beginning to end.

I decided, based on what ingredients I had in stock, that I would throw together instead some sort of rendition of a meal my good Argentinian friend, Veronica, made for me years ago: potatoes, carrots, corn, olives, tomato paste, jalapenos + some leftover chimichurri I had from a dinner party recently. I pre-roasted the potatoes slightly (thanks to my skepticism and also due to a suggestion in the cookbook concerning a potato soup recipe) and then threw them in with carrots, celery, onion, garlic, tomato paste, chimichurri and spices. I’ll be detailing the recipe below so hold on to your blenders.

I waited for Colin to get home because I knew he wouldn’t want to miss this feat of 21st century engineering and then proceeded to follow the instructions. I set my blender on the soup setting and let the blender do its thing. I read that I would see steam coming out of the vented lid once the soup was done. Again, I need to say how skeptical I was of this–not because I’m not a believer in simple science, but something about it just seemed unreal.

Sure enough, the blender turned itself off after five minutes, and the result was a steamy, perfectly pureed soup, almost silky. It looked good. But how did it taste?

Heavenly! We topped it with chopped pickled jalapenos, green olives and canned corn. Everyone absolutely loved it and I couldn’t get over the flavor. It tasted like it had been simmering for an hour on the stove. We all agreed that after serving it for lunch leftovers we could even use the soup as an enchilada sauce for dinner later this week. It made more than enough for at least two meals for this big family plus the sauce for enchiladas. I am officially a believer.

Here’s the recipe for Argentine Soup in the Vitamix:

Combine

2 cups celery, roughly chopped

1 cup carrots, roughly chopped

1 onion

2 par-baked Yukon gold potatoes, skin on and roughly chopped

1 small can tomato paste

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1 bouillon cube (veggie is great)

water to cover

1/4 cup paprika

2 Tbsp chimichurri

2 Tbsp oregano, dried

2 Tbsp chili powder

1 Tbsp cumin, ground

1 teaspoon smoked sea salt

pinch red pepper flakes

+

a splash of hot sauce

I blended it for five minutes on high and topped with the garnishes discussed above.

I served the whole thing with some roasted potatoes and zucchini tossed in the last of the chimichurri.

And of course, can’t write this with out throwing in the yummy smoothie I made this am: cherries, spinach, almond milk + banana.

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Meet Lynsie

I love putting on many different hats, and in fact, I thrive quite nicely from rotating through a lot of jobs in one single day. My days are jam-packed and filled with as many activities and memories as I can possibly stuff into their mere 24 hours.